Bhubaneswar: Dr Mahendra Mishra, the first Indian to receive the UNESCO International Mother Language Award, delivered the annual ‘Buxi Jagabandhu Memorial Lecture, 2024-25, at the BJB Autonomous College Auditorium in Bhubaneswar, on Friday. This event is organised by the BJB Autonomous College Memorial Lecture, Award and Alumni Committee. Dr Mishra spoke on the topic “The History and Literature of Odisha.”
His thought-provoking lecture on ‘Odia language, literature and culture’, went down extremely well with the audience. Dr Jhumki Rath, principal, BJB Autonomous College, and president of the event, felicitated Dr Mishra. The event was coordinated by Dr Bibhabari Bal and Dr Chinmoyo Patel. Among the other eminent members present were Dr Rita Pati, Dr Subhransu Kumar Behera and Dr Sujit Kumar Mishra.
Dr Mishra, an eminent linguist and folklorist from Odisha, received the International Mother Language Award 2023 from former Bangladesh prime minister Sk Hasina at the International Mother Language Institute, Dhaka on February 21, 2023. February 21 is observed across the world as International Mother Language Day. Dr Mishra received the award for his lifetime service towards the promotion of mother language in India.
He was the pioneer in promoting endangered languages in school education, using community knowledge. He was also instrumental in adopting mother tongue-based multilingual education in Odisha, by including 10 tribal languages in primary schools. Dr Mishra is also a well-known folklorist for his work among the indigenous languages.
Dr Mishra, a member of Language Development Board of the central Sahitya Akademi, is also the recipient of the Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award. He was also awarded with a national award for his lifetime achievement in tribal language and culture. This is known the Veer Shankar Shah Raghunath Award. His work has also been recognised abroad. He was awarded by Kalevala Institute, Finland for his contribution towards the translation of Kalevala, a national epic of Finland, into Odia.
